I Possessed a Character in an Academy Without a Protagonist – Chapter 130

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“So you’re telling me you just… lost the castle?”

“Y-yes, sir…”

“What in the blazes were you doing?! I was told there were less than fifty of them! Recapture it immediately!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

Lorraine’s bellow sent his commanders scrambling from the tent like their tails were on fire.

They had plenty to say in their defense. After all, it was Commander-in-Chief Lorraine himself who had ordered the troops withdrawn from the Fourth Castle.

But they knew better than to argue. They’d only be met with a condescending lecture about their poor judgment.

If they followed orders and failed, it was their fault. If they disobeyed orders and succeeded, it was still their fault.

It was a no-win situation.

“The castle guard is on our side. Those knights can’t possibly use bows or ballistae. If we can just get our troops inside, we can easily retake it.”

“Agreed. I’ll have the scaling ladders brought forward.”

“Gather all available cavalry! We need to be prepared in case the enemy sallies forth!”

Losing the Fourth Castle was a setback, but it hadn’t shifted the balance of power.

In fact, the castle’s size worked against the enemy; they wouldn’t be able to effectively utilize all its defenses. That meant there would be vulnerabilities to exploit. All they had to do was push enough troops through those gaps…

“What the…?”

As the troops approached the Fourth Castle, the soldiers and commanders of the Southern Republic froze in their tracks.

The sunlight suddenly dimmed and a swarm of dark shapes blotted out the sky.

It didn’t take long for them to realize they were arrows.

“Take cover! Take cover!”

“Aaaaagh!”

Arrows rained down like a deadly storm, screams echoing through the ranks.

There weren’t supposed to be any archers among the knights. Even if there were, there was no way they could launch such a volley.

Unless…

The castle guard.

The horrifying realization dawned on the commanders. They had been betrayed.

The Fourth Castle guard, handpicked for their hatred of the Empire, had switched sides in less than an hour.

The betrayal stung. As the Republic forces maneuvered to surround the castle, they were subjected to a relentless barrage of arrows. It seemed the Fourth Castle had been stocked with a veritable mountain of ammunition, enough to last for days.

Still, thanks to their overwhelming numbers – nearly twenty thousand strong – they managed to push three thousand troops to the very walls of the Fourth Castle. The siege could begin.

Breaching the gates or walls was out of the question for the day. Their strategy was to overwhelm the defenders with a simultaneous assault from all sides, using scaling ladders to create breaches and pour through the gaps.

Preparing the ladders took four hours. The sun began to set.

The castle remained eerily silent. The rain of arrows had stopped.

It was as if the castle had been completely abandoned. The silence was unsettling, like the calm before a storm.

Then, the silence broke.

Rumble…

“The main gate! It’s opening!”

“They’re letting us in! Charge before they change their minds!”

The soldiers waiting at the main gate surged forward.

They were supposed to keep moving, to push through at all costs, even if it meant sacrificing their lives to keep the gate open for the others.

But they stopped. Frozen in terror, their faces drained of color.

The gate opened onto a wall of gleaming armor and steel-tipped lances. At least three hundred mounted knights stood waiting, blocking their path.

“H-hyaah!”

“Retreat! Retreat!!!”

The lightly armored infantry, unprepared for close-quarters combat, were no match for the heavily armored cavalry.

It was a massacre.

The seemingly resurrected suppression force cavalry, their numbers a mystery, formed a formidable wedge and tore through the besieging infantry.

“Cover the infantry’s retreat! Charge!”

“Charge!!!”

This wasn’t entirely unexpected. But they hadn’t anticipated such numbers.

The cavalry commander, trying to remain calm, issued orders for a counterattack.

Two thousand cavalrymen were already in formation. Ten times the enemy’s strength. If the enemy were sane, they would retreat.

“The enemy… they’re turning towards us!”

“….”

Heavily armored cavalry, outnumbered five to one… charging into their lines?

What were they thinking?

The commander’s eyes darted back and forth, his mind racing.

Had the enemy somehow discerned that not all of their cavalry were fully armored?

It didn’t matter. Whether the enemy was blindly charging or had calculated their odds, the risk was too great.

Losing the Vice-Commander and five hundred elite cavalry was already a devastating blow. Losing another two thousand here would mean losing the war.

They couldn’t afford such a gamble while they still held the advantage.

“Front ranks, about face! Wheel right and retreat!”

“Sir?!”

“Just do it!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

They had to retreat. They had to grit their teeth and watch as the enemy slaughtered their infantry.

Strategically, it was the right decision.

They could easily replenish their infantry ranks. Cavalry, however, was a different story. Every mounted knight was precious. They couldn’t be wasted in a risky engagement.

The two thousand cavalry, their numbers useless, could only harass the enemy from the flanks, preventing a deep pursuit. They would charge if the enemy tried to engage, and retreat if the enemy turned to face them.

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As darkness fell, the Southern Republic forces finally managed to retreat.

But they had left three thousand dead behind.

It was a monumental victory.

Not only had we taken the Fourth Castle without a fight, but we had also decimated the enemy infantry, sending a clear message to Lorraine that we were no longer the pushovers they had faced before. We were no longer the cowering force trapped within the fortress walls.

But we still had a long way to go.

We hadn’t achieved a true reversal yet. The enemy still had over twenty thousand infantry and four thousand cavalry.

We needed to cut those numbers in half, at least.

The problem was, the enemy wouldn’t be so careless again. They would avoid direct confrontations, conserving their cavalry.

It’s time.

It was time to put my plan into action. I had a way to cripple the rebel army overnight.

I had been saving my shop coins for this.

Surely, I had enough by now.

What?!

I was one coin short.

How could I be one coin short?!

If only I hadn’t bought that healing potion for Sergei’s squire in Whist Forest… Those two coins…

Regret gnawed at me, but I took a deep breath and pushed it down. I had saved a life. I couldn’t regret that.

One coin… it was just one coin. Surely a quest would pop up on the way. Quests appeared often enough.

I had to stay positive.

What if a quest didn’t appear, and I had to negotiate without enough coins?

I banished the thought from my mind. I couldn’t afford to dwell on such negativity.

“They’re returning.”

“Ah, yes.”

Iris bumped into me, snapping me back to reality. The main gate was slowly opening.

Pelaine, the conquering hero, rode through the gate, followed by her cavalry.

Trie rode beside her. Ainz and Erica were among the ranks.

It seemed our supply lines had been re-established after breaking the enemy encirclement.

“….”

“….”

The knights filed into the fortress. Even though it was late, a large crowd had gathered, humans and beastmen alike, to witness their return.

But the atmosphere was far from celebratory. They watched the suppression force with cold, wary eyes.

They had seen the fleeing rebels abandon them to the fireball. They had heard the false broadcast promising safety.

They were disillusioned with the rebels, but that didn’t translate to support for the suppression force.

They likely still saw us as oppressors, ready to enslave and slaughter them.

I had to change that perception. I had to prevent another uprising within the castle walls.

“Schlus, it’s your turn.”

“Me?”

“Yes. I saw the future. You will address the crowd from that platform, and sway the hearts of the people.”

“….”

I stared at her incredulously.

Me? Giving a speech to rally the masses? Not Kane? Not Iris? Me?

It sounded preposterous.

“That’s absurd.”

“If you think so, then so be it.”

“But I trust you, Iris. Because it’s you.”

It couldn’t be a lie. Not from the Saintess.

However unlikely it seemed, it had to be a glimpse of the future.

“You wouldn’t joke about something like this.”

“R-right? Of course! I saw it! I really did! Yes…”

“….”

Something was off.

She was avoiding my gaze, fidgeting nervously.

A flicker of doubt crept into my mind.

I trust you, Iris.

I had to trust her. However suspicious her behavior, I had to believe her. Perhaps she just had to use the restroom…

I pushed past her and made my way through the crowd towards the platform in the center of the square.

I climbed the steps to the top and cast a simple amplification spell. Nothing fancy, just enough to project my voice with my limited mana.

“Attention!”

“…?”

All eyes turned towards me.

I could feel their gazes, heavy with expectation and suspicion.

I was incredibly nervous. If this went wrong, it was all Iris’s fault.

“I am Schlus Hainkel, a knight of the Freya Empire. I hereby declare that the Fourth Castle is under the control of the suppression force.”

“….”

The response was… underwhelming.

The residents of the Fourth Castle had seen the rebels abandon them. They had seen them flee while broadcasting a message of safety, even as a giant rune threatened to incinerate the castle.

They had to be disillusioned with the rebels.

But that didn’t mean they welcomed the suppression force with open arms. We were still seen as the enemy.

I had to change that. I had to prevent another uprising within the castle walls.

“I stand before you today to address the Emancipation Proclamation. As you may have heard, slavery has been abolished in the South. For those who haven’t heard, I will reiterate: As of this moment, there are no slaves in the South. Every person, regardless of race, has the right to freedom.”

Messengers had been sent to all the castles, but there was a chance the rebels had suppressed the news.

I had to make sure the message was heard.

“This isn’t a temporary measure for the duration of the conflict. As a knight of the Freya Empire, I promise you, the people of the South will never again be enslaved. Unlike the rebels, we will protect you, the residents of the Fourth Castle, to the very end.”

“…!”

The crowd stirred.

The silence was broken by murmurs and whispers.

“And I have one more promise to make. This is a temporary measure, until the rebellion is quelled…”

I hesitated.

This was a risky move. It would have serious repercussions. The future Duke of the South would likely want my head for this.

But I had started, and I couldn’t back down now.

“The suppression force will collect no taxes from the occupied territories.”

“….”

Silence.

A heavy, expectant silence.

I saw faces frozen in disbelief.

Had I miscalculated?

“Woooooo!”

“Long live the suppression force!”

“Long live the Empire!”

I had miscalculated. Just not in the way I expected.

The cheers that erupted a moment later were deafening, far exceeding my expectations.

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